Our website uses cookies to improve your user experience. If you continue browsing, we assume that you consent to our use of cookies. More information can be found in our Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

Christmas UK online sales up 50% – IMRG

Online retailers have had a more successful Christmas than their high street counterparts, with IMRG reporting that high street sales are down, and online sales up by between 40 and 50% compared to 2005.

Larger internet retailers like Tesco and Amazon seem to have enjoyed a particularly successful Christmas period, with both setting records for online sales.

Amazon received 4 million orders on its busiest day, December 11, beating 2005’s record of 3.4 million orders. Meanwhile, Tesco.com received 1.3 million visitors over the Christmas period, with overall sales up 30% on last Christmas.

Full statistics for December will not be available until January 15, but IMRG is now predicting that spending for the four weeks up to Christmas Eve will total up to £3.7 billion, having previously predicted £3.2 billion.

IMRG also said that online now accounts for 10% of total retail sales in the UK, compared to just 0.5% in 2000.

Things were not so rosy on the high street though, with research firm Footfall reporting an 8.5% drop in the volume of shoppers for the week before Christmas, compared with the same period in 2005.

Sales at Next seem to have followed a similar pattern, with Next Retail reporting a 7.5% decline in sales for the 21 weeks up to Christmas, while Next Directory’s sales (50% of which are estimated to be online) rose by 9.3%.

uSuggest is a social shopping site that allows its users to earn commission by reviewing, tagging and recommending products displayed on the site.

Users can tag and recommend products on the site, or add a link to their blogs, and earn commission on any sales the generated by these links. On the face of it, it looks a good way for bloggers to earn some cash.

Companies are pouring billions of dollars a year into social media and influencer marketing campaigns, many of which target consumers on Facebook-owned Instagram, in an effort to parlay social engagement into sales.